Allison

VAWAA embodies everything that I crave – travel, art and connection – and I have been wanting to go on a VAWAA since I first learned of the whole thing. Yet on a grander scale, I have been searching for more growth and guidance within both my artistic practice and my evolution as an artist this year. And so I headed to Vancouver to learn with Kate Metten with the hopes of moving out of this liminal space and gaining clearer direction and new perspectives around this exploration.

 Author Zora Neale Hurston once wrote, “There are years that ask questions and there are years that answer.” I would like to humbly amend this vis-a-vis my VAWAA adventure and say, “There are experiences that ask questions and experiences that answer” and my days with Kate in Vancouver was hands down an experience that answers the questions! This opportunity came at a time where I felt at a crossroads with my art – glorified hobby or something more serious? And if more serious, then what? The time spent learning with Kate answered this quandary swiftly and fluidly. Under Kate’s tutelage I gained insights into the daily workings of a full time artist, from the business side of things to deeper creative inspirations as well as heaps of new ideas to bring into my studio and a new found motivation to push farther. But more importantly, Kate saw me as an artist, capable and worthy of success, and that acknowledgement from someone so talented and accomplished has been priceless. It has catalyzed a massive boost in my confidence for making bigger and bolder leaps in my work and I have been resoundingly transformed.